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India to launch two satellites |
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India will put into space two satellites, one for mapping and another with multiple uses, by May-June, the chief of the country’s space agency has said.
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) will launch the Cartosat-1, equipped with cameras with a resolution of 2.5 metres to undertake mapping applications, in March-April and the Insat-4A satellite in May-June.
ISRO chairman G. Madhavan Nair told reporters that Cartosat-1 will be launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh using the using the indigenous polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV).
“We are targeting the launch of Cartosat-1 for March-April and that of Insat-4A for May-June from Korou in French Guyana on board the European Space Agency’s geo-synchronous launch vehicle,” Nair said on the sidelines of a function.
Nair clarified that the Sriharikota launch site did not suffer any damage in the Dec 26 Tsunami, when tidal waves struck the southern coast.
The ISRO made extensive use of its remote sensing and Insat series of satellites for surveying and mapping the extent of damage caused by the Tsunami along India’s southern coast, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Sri Lanka and even Indonesia.
“We have given the satellite data to government authorities, including district officials, indicating the extent of damage for undertaking rescue and relief operations,” Nair said.
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